The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: Barking Up the Tree Fri 12 Apr 2024 - 20:18
Barking Up the Tree A DOG-Gone Dangerous Quest
A small patrol of warriors led by Sunfire has stumbled upon the violently disfigured corpse of a fox. View more details here. In an effort to locate the threat lurking in SkyClan's territory, Honeydew has organized two investigations to carefully search for clues.
Honeydew is leading her patrol around the edges of SkyClan territory, starting at the site of the fox corpse near the ShadowClan border. The patrol will search for clues to try and determine what kind of creature could be lurking in their territory.
RULES: At the beginning of the topic, during your first post, roll one Hunting Dice to investigate with your character. Your character will use their senses to determine whether or not they can detect signs of the predator still in the area. After each participant writes out an investigation post and rolls, the predator will make its appearance and the battle can begin! 1-3: Fails to detect signs of the predator. 4-6: Detects minor to moderate signs, such as a faint scent, territorial scratch marks, etc. 7-9: Detects strong signs, such as droppings, tufts of fur, etc. 10: Discovers the predator's wearabouts - get ready for an encounter!
Timer: The timer for April has been lifted! A DOG-Gone Dangerous Quest is currently active, and tensions are high. Danger could be lurking around every corner... If a predator is rolled (10), uwubers is in control of it. For ALL rules, be sure to read the SkyClan Patrols and Duties post in its entirety!
Honeydew paced back and forth in front of the camp entrance. Soon after the meeting, she and Wolfblossom had received many volunteers to go investigate what Sunfire's patrol had discovered - the mutilated remains of a predator near the ShadowClan border. From the description, Honeydew couldn't imagine what kind of creature would be able to cause such a scene.
A strong sense of foreboding filled her and gripped her stomach with fire-hot fangs. The deputy grimaced, the hairs rising on her neck. All the feelings she'd experienced lately, she had felt were for naught. It was almost as though she'd sensed something horrible was about to befall the clan. Honeydew shook her head in an attempt to clear it. I can't let myself panic! she told herself fiercely. I have to be strong for the clan! We can come together to face whatever this is!
Brackendawn was the first to meet her by the entrance, and she felt her shoulders relax slightly. "I'm glad you're coming," she told him as he approached. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do right now without you." She reached out and buried her face in her brother's fur. It reminded her of the old days, by the lake, where they'd grown up together, inseparable. Things were different now, in ways neither of them could control, but she vowed to always make time for Brackendawn. She allowed herself a moment of vulnerability and shivered against the cold winds of cruelty that blew in from the forest.
"I promise I will talk to you more, Brackendawn," she offered. "I never meant to hide anything from you, and I didn't realize that I was becoming more distant. But no more," she promised, pulling her face back to meet his gaze. Her eyes were determined, but there was fear there. Fear of the unknown that awaited them in the forest. Honeydew could feel her heart pounding in her chest like heavy paws on the ground, giving chase.
Just then, the sounds of their approaching patrolmates drew near, and Honeydew's cool blue gaze drew over the other cats who had joined their patrol - her dear Mallowcloud, Ambersun, and little Ridgepaw. Her heart leaped at the thought of taking an apprentice into such a potentially dangerous part of the territory - but the rest of her patrol soothed her worries. These were strong warriors. Brackendawn and Ambersun were experienced out in the wildnerness by themselves. If they could take care of themselves out there, Honeydew felt confident that they would be even stronger together.
"Are we ready?" she prompted them, turning towards the camp entrance. "We're gonna go find that fox Sunfire told us all about, and we're going to dispose of it. We can't let it stay there like that, drawing in StarClan-knows-what from who-knows-where. And then we're going to look for clues as to what did this, and if it's still around. Are you with me?"
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Fri 12 Apr 2024 - 21:13
After instructing Blazepaw to help out around camp in his absences, Brackendawn made his way over to Honeydew. She was hard to miss, with her constant pacing in front of the camp entrance. Brackendawn had been the first to sign up for the patrol, and he would be the first to meet her before they left, perhaps even help call the deputy. His sister wore her emotions for everyone to see, try as she might to hide them he always knew when she was upset. The mutilation of the fox’s corpse by an unknown predator -though he had his suspicions- was among the current culprits for her anxieties. As soon as he was beside her, the cream she-cat instantly turned to greet him, her posture changing slightly as she relaxed. The brindled warrior offered her a small smile, happy to bring her some sort of comfort. “Of course, Honeydew. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
There was a pressure against his chest and he looked down, the small form of his sister burying herself in his chest fur. Brackendawn purred softly, wrapping his tail over her shoulders. For a brief moment it felt like they were apprentices again, getting intro trouble he’d caused and then him comforting her for all the issues he made. Though that was far from the case, there was real danger lurking now, and he had to protect her. Whatever this creature was if it showed its face around him he wouldn’t hesitate to do what he had to do for his sister. He rested his chin atop Honeydew’s head, breathing in her scent. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t trust me. We’ve always had each other, and there’s no one I trust more than you and Shatteredsky and Harespring. You guys are everything to me.” he mewed, drawing back as the rest of the patrol joined them. His eyes lingered on each and everyone. If any of them balked… His eyes clung to Ambersun a moment longer. If any of them tried to stop him from saving Honeydew… Maybe there were more similarities to the lakes to be found yet. He didn’t answer the deputy’s question. He’d always be with her.
-
The ShadowClan border reeked, but it was still preferable than hanging around the ThunderClan border. He’s had far too many unpleasant and strange encounters around there as of late. Hopefully, he could avoid them for a moment longer. Blue eyes found the found the fox corpse… Or what remained of it. The tom shivered, this wasn’t the work of any usual predator, no wonder Honeydew had been so upset. The manner in which it had been torn apart brought him back to that night, it looked so similar to Lionstripe. He wanted to throw up, but he had to be better. The carcass reeked, perhaps it wasn’t ShadowClan that smelt so bad. There was also an unfamiliar, foreboding scent to the air. Brackendawn’s claws unsheathed as his hackles raised. “How do we dispose of it? Throw it over ShadowClan’s side?” he mewed, chuckling slightly to alleviate the mood. No one was looking forward to this, he hoped it at least didn’t involve eating the rotting creature.
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Fri 12 Apr 2024 - 21:50
Ambersun didn't expect to arrive late to the patrol, though she was glad Brackendawn got a moment with his sister. Gazing at the young apprentice in their patrol - Ridgepaw - Ambersun nodded at him. She, for one, would have only put SkyClan's best fighters on this patrol. A wolf was no joke, and it was something Ambersun didn't think was a place for an apprentice. At the same time, she didn't think Ridgepaw would be here unless Honeydew or Wolfstar approved the move, so Ambersun didn't complain.
As Brackendawn turned to the others, she noticed him gaze at Ambersun directly. She gave him a warm smile back. Stars, she hoped he wouldn't get hurt. At the same time, he was a warrior, so Ambersun knew she had to trust him to take care of himself. At the same time, she didn't want him getting hurt by a wolf lurking. That's why we're here. To drive this menace off our territory once and for all.
Ambersun veered to the right as they approached the border. "The dead fox is this way. Follow me." As they stumbled on the fox carcass rotting on the ground. It stunk a lot more than Ambersun remembered, the vile odors assaulting her nose as she immediately turned away from it. "I dunno, but the sooner we get this fox out of here, the better," she replied flatly, trying to hold back a vomit. "Maybe we just push it onto the Thunderpath and let the monsters run it over or something."
______________________________________ Rookfire, ShadowClan T3 Warrior: 50/120 Kitespring, RiverClan T3 Warrior: 50/120 Ambersun, SkyClan T2 Warrior: 40/100
pfp by the amazing xaandiir!
Last edited by Mamenchisaurus on Fri 12 Apr 2024 - 21:58; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15081 Age : 30
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Fri 12 Apr 2024 - 21:50
The member 'Mamenchisaurus' has done the following action : Dice roll
'Hunting Dice' : 2
______________________________________
♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫ ~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~ ~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 5:18
MALLOWCLOUD ! Mallowcloud only offered Honeydew a brisk nod on approach when she asked if they were ready to head off. He was ready as he'd ever be - the last thing he wanted to do was go toe to toe with a fierce beast, but he had swore in his warrior ceremony he would give his life to SkyClan.
-
He stood before the fox with the rest of the patrol, wanting to recoil and flee at the sight. It was mangled horrifically - how could they even tell this had been a fox? It was like the cats they'd lost at the Lake when the wolves came. His eyes glossed over as he recalled the wicked memory, paws trembling. Had the wolves followed them? Mallowcloud fought the urge to tuck his tail and flee. This was no time for cowardice.
He sucked in a deep breath, suppressing a gag as the stench hit the back of his throat and forced himself to speak. His voice was strained and labored as he tried not to breathe between sentences. "T-that's too risky. As much as I'd love to leave it with Twolegs and their monsters, maybe we should just bury it. Away from our territory... S-stars, away from Clan territory." His head whipped back and forth, searching. "Maybe we can find a thick piece of bark to-" Mallowcloud stopped in the middle of his sentence, his eyes flicking back to a place he'd already looked at.
He brushed past Honeydew, waving his tail at her to follow as he approached the ShadowClan border. "This..." He leaned down to sniff fur that had been caught in a tangle of brambles. Too familiar, but not quite right. "They're here?"He whispered, eyes rounding with fear.
Last edited by Grohiik on Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 5:24; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15081 Age : 30
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 5:18
The member 'Grohiik' has done the following action : Dice roll
'Hunting Dice' : 9
______________________________________
♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫ ~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~ ~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
Miupow
Characters : [S]agekit, [R]idgepaw, [E]mberkit Clan/Rank : [S]RiverClan Kit [R]SkyClan Apprentice [E]ShadowClan Kit Number of posts : 38 Gender : she/her Age : 20
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 7:10
Ridgepaw
"The most dangerous thing is to love."
Apprentice | SkyClan | he/him
Ridgepaw couldn’t for the life of him understand the tension in the air, the deathly worried looks on all of his patrolmates faces. Not only was this his first ever patrol– something that he had been looking forward to for his entire short life, something he had talked his poor mother’s ear off about– but this was a patrol to find and kill a predator. Ridegpaw was nearly bouncing with glee by the time he made his way to join the rest of his patrolmates. Yet.. his heart sank when one of the senior warriors nodded to him, Ambersun he’s fairly sure, her face solemn and foreboding and making Ridgepaw stop in his tracks and the excited smile melt off of his face. Maybe… maybe this was something far more serious than he initially believed.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
The reeking, clinging scent of the dead fox hit Ridgepaw before he saw it, a scent he had never smelled before… death. It hung in the air and wrapped around him and his patrol like a vice, only growing stronger and more omnipresent as they rounded onto the corpse.
Had it really once been a fox? It hardly looked like anything now, tattered remains of skin and fur and blood. So much blood. Ridgepaw fought the growing urge to gag, to avert his eyes. He was stronger than this, he was sure of it.
His patrolmates debated between themselves over how to dispose of it, and Ridgepaw listened in… but then Mallowcloud broke away with a sharp gasp, padded away to inspect something no one else saw– what does he mean by ‘they’re here?’ A nasty chill ran down Ridgepaw’s spine.
It was a tuft of dark fur, tangled up in the bramble off to the side of the fox’s corpse; Ridgepaw padded over to inspect it himself, aloft to Mallowcloud’s side… and something else caught his wary blue eyes.
“What’s that?” he whispered to Mallowcloud, stepping away to address his new find– something weighing down the undergrowth just adjacent to the fur.
Droppings. Fresh droppings. Ridgepaw turned to stare at the rest of his patrol in shock and fear.
discord: zerohadvantage | timezone: est | code (c) kieer
Last edited by Miupow on Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 8:20; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15081 Age : 30
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 7:10
The member 'Miupow' has done the following action : Dice roll
'Hunting Dice' : 8
______________________________________
♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫ ~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~ ~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
uwubers
Number of posts : 709 Age : 26
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 13 Apr 2024 - 21:13
Barking Up the Tree A DOG-Gone Dangerous Quest
Honeydew smiled warmly at her brother, but a rock nestled itself in her stomach at the mentioned of Shatteredsky. Brackendawn didn't yet know the words that had been exchanged between them after the incident with Myrtlebloom. I'll have to find time this evening to chat with him about that in a quiet corner of camp, she decided. Honeydew couldn't pretend things were okay after her brother had basically disowned her. And it's my fault.
But that was an issue for later. There were more pressing matters now. The patrol departed, marching in silence as the web of worry was woven in the young deputy's heart.
As the patrol arrived, the scene was somehow even worse than she had imagined after Sunfire's retelling of events. She visibly flinched away from the sight before them, unsure of what to make of it. How had Sunfire and his patrol been sure it used to be a fox? Viscera littered the ground, the poor creature's life brutally stolen from it. Somehow, Honeydew felt sympathy for this creature, normally a threat to her clan.
She stood back a good distance from the pile of flesh and struggled desperately to resist the urge to retch. She was vaguely aware of the patrol discussing how to dispose of the remains.
"Burying it is a good idea," she chimed in. "It might be our only option, seeing as how many... pieces... there are." The she-cat avoided eye contact with her patrolmates. Moons of memories began rushing back at her, and feelings of incompetence and uncertainty began clawing their way to the surface of her mind. Every bone in Honeydew's body screamed that this was wrong. Such a violent act... Whatever caused this, surely, we cannot defeat it after all.
Her attention was pulled back when Mallowpaw and Ridgepaw called the patrol over. They'd found evidence that the creature that caused this mess had been here, and recently, at that. Honeydew's fur stood on end as she approached and sniffed the tuft of fur, and her nose wrinkled as she examined that giant heap of dirt.
"What kind of creature makes dirt like that?" she hissed. "Whatever it was, it was here recently. We need to bury the fox now, and get back to camp before whatever it is comes back and decides to make a meal of us." She turned back towards the mutilated corpse, but her blue eyes locked onto something in the mud.
"Stop," she whispered to her patrol, flicking her tail. "Look."
Huge tracks in the mud, massive four-toed, long clawed beast tracks that encircled the fox's remains. Her gaze followed the direction from which the tracks originated. She padded lightly over the ground and followed them until the Twolegplace came into view, not far from the site of the massacre. The deputy stopped in her tracks. Could it be...?
She followed them back to the bloody scene and searched around, finding that they led depper into the territory, away from the ShadowClan border. The web of worry in Honeydew's heart tightened into a cold, hard knot and she swallowed back bile. This is bad. The clan is in danger.
"We need to get this fox taken care of and head back to camp with our findings," she told them gravely. She glanced around, looking for anything that might help them. "Gather as much bracken, twigs, and branches as you can find in the immediate area, and stack them on top of the body the best you can. It'll help conceal the scent, if only a little." StarClan knows only rain can sweep this stench away now.
Rolling for investigation... rolled a 9! Honeydew found tracks in the mud coming from the direction of Twolegplace and leading deeper into SkyClan's forest.
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Mon 15 Apr 2024 - 10:46
As the rest of the patrol began to find more and more absence, the pain in Brackendawn's stomach only grew. This wasn't real. This couldn't be happening. And worst of all it seemed everyone else was thinking along the same lines that he was. All those claims he made, all the things he told himself... Lies. Everyone was about to know the truth. His cowardice would be cemented within the next few minutes, if only he could hang a moment longer. With an audible swallow, the tom forced himself to move forward clinging close to his sister's side as they followed the tracks. For her assurance, not his own, he told himself.
The tracks only confirmed his worst fears, and the tast of bile on his tongue was undeniable. "Where do we go?" he whispered to Honeydew "SkyClan has no allies... And the lakes..." his breathing hitched, and Brackendawn swallowed thickly again. The rest of the patrol was upon them, and he didn't need them seeing him any weaker. Honeydew understood him, the rest didn't. Apart from Ambersun, but that was... His tail lashed. With the arrival of the others, the deputy began rattling off instructions. He was so grateful that his sister had sense, and was able to take control of situations like this. The brindled warrior nuzzled her, before breaking away.
The taste of herbs in his mouth helped to ease his queasiness as he chewed them into a poultice. He then quickly applied it over the ribbons of flesh, cringing at how they felt underpaw. Once happy with his work, he turned and kicked dirt over what was left. Though it wasn't perfect, Brackendawn was hopeful that whatever else was used would cover the scent too. Blue eyes drifted back to Honeydew, they would be okay. They had to be.
Subject: Re: Barking Up the Tree Sat 27 Apr 2024 - 9:35
Due to recent events, this topic will be considered over. The patrol found signs of the threat on the territory, but did not encounter the beast itself.
